Fusilli with vegetables from spring and breadcrumbs
How about half the work for creamy pasta? Put us down. It’s easy with a tub of mascarpone. This dish is made more interesting with just three green veggies. Garlicky breadcrumbs and toasted almonds give it a tempting crunch.
If you want creamy pasta but don’t want to spend a lot of time making a sauce, try this ridiculously easy and vegetable-packed fusilli. You’ll cook the pasta with the asparagus and peas, and then melt mascarpone in the same pot to give the pasta a smooth, rich flavor. It’s hard to avoid because it has crunchy, buttered pieces and bits of toasted nuts.
Primavera, Pronto
If you’ve ever made pasta primavera, you know that it can involve making a bechamel and/or blanching all the veggies separately, which takes too long for a weeknight. This delicious fusilli recipe uses asparagus, baby spinach, and peas to make a “primavera” dish that tastes like spring without all the steps. A tub of mascarpone makes a light, creamy sauce that goes on everything with almost no work.
Buttery, crunchy breadcrumb topping
If you think it’s strange to add bread to pasta, hear me out. Using old bread to make crumbs is an old-fashioned way to save money and gives you a lot of crunch. By toasting fresh crumbs in butter with chopped nuts and garlic, you can make a crispy, spicy topping that is similar to the crumbs baked on top of macaroni and cheese. You can always use panko instead of bread if you don’t have any bread to use up.
Curly pasta holds soft vegetables.
Fusilli and rotini are curly coils that are made to wrap around bits of vegetables and hold sauce. If you already have cavatappi or gemelli, you can use those instead.
Frozen peas can go right into the drainer and wait for a hot bath until the pasta is done. Asparagus can be added to the pot with the pasta for the last two minutes. Spinach wilts in the hot pasta pot where butter has been melted, giving you three kinds of green vegetables to eat with your pasta.
Fusilli with vegetables from spring and breadcrumbs
PREP TIME
10 mins
TIME TO COOK
20 mins
TIME TOTAL: 30 minutes
SERVINGS
Serves 4 to 6
YIELD 10 cups
Keep the mascarpone in the fridge until you’re ready to use it, then heat it just until it melts in the pan.
Ingredients
For the topping of crumbs:
1 cup of brand-new breadcrumbs
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the noodles:
1 lb. fusilli or another type of spiral pasta
1 bunch of asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces and cleaned.
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons chopped lemon rind
1 (4-ounce) package of baby spinach, chopped (about 4 cups),
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (8-ounce) tub mascarpone cheese
Method
To make the crumb topping, cut the crusts off of fresh bread and cut the bread into cubes. Put the bread cubes in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you have crumbs. One cup is needed.
Use the same food processor to chop the nuts into pieces that are less than 1/4 inch long. You can also chop them by hand.
Warm the butter in a big pan over medium heat. When it’s melted, add the bread crumbs, almonds, garlic, and salt. As the ingredients get hot, stir them well to mix them. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 to 6 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Put in a medium bowl and set aside.
Pasta, asparagus, and peas need to be cooked:
Start boiling a lot of salted water in a big pot for the pasta. In the meantime, clean and set aside the asparagus.
When the water boils, add the pasta and cook it according to the directions on the box. Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the pot.
During the time that the pasta is cooking, put the peas in a big sieve and put it in the sink. When the pasta is done, pour the boiling water and pasta over the peas in the sieve, letting the hot pasta drain over them.
Preparing the sauce:
While the pasta is draining, melt the butter over medium heat in the same pot. Add the lemon juice and spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the spinach wilts.
Add the mascarpone to the spinach and stir until thick. Don’t let it melt and separate.
Pour the pasta and vegetables that have been rinsed and drained into the pot. Turn and toss the pasta to coat it evenly.
Preparing the sauce:
While the pasta is draining, melt the butter over medium heat in the same pot. Add the lemon juice and spinach and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the spinach wilts.
Add the mascarpone to the spinach and stir until thick. Don’t let it melt and separate.
Pour the pasta and vegetables that have been rinsed and drained into the pot. Turn and toss the pasta to coat it evenly.
NUTRITION FACTS
(PER SERVING)
488 CALORIES 27g FAT 44g CARBS 20g PROTEIN